The second day of action packed Kolkata leg will see, the home team Bengal Warriors take on the defending champions Patna Pirates at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose indoor stadium, on Sunday. The Bengal Warriors pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Pro Kabaddi season 4 by defeating the strong Jaipur Pink Panthers, on Saturday. With 2 wins and 6 losses, the Warriors are still languishing at the bottom of the table, but the stalemate against Pune and the rock solid performance against the Panthers gives a lot of confidence for the home team, heading into today’s battle.
Also Read: Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 4: Bengaluru Leg Recap - Bengaluru Bulls create unwanted record
The Patna Pirates overcame the Mumbai threat by thrashing the three-time finalist with 34-24. The rock-solid defence of the Pirates was ably complemented by the attackers against the U Mumba. With 7 wins and 2 losses, the Pirates sit at the top of the table with 36 points, and a win in today’s battle could put them in the playoffs. The defending champions should come good against the Bengal threat in today’s encounter.
Match Prediction
The Bengal attack has been stupendous in yesterday’s game especially the raiding machine Jan Kun Lee has totally dismantled the Jaipur defence. With 12 raid points to his name, the magical Korean pushed the Jaipur defenders on the back foot as he especially targeted the in-form Amit Hooda on the right corner. But, the quick turns and fast movements will be again tested in today’s game against the deadliest Patna defence lead by Dharmaraj Cheralathan.
The vulnerable looking Bengal defence came to the party in yesterday’s game. Nilesh Shinde on the right corner used his experience to the great effort against the trio of Ajay Kumar, Jasvir Singh and Rajesh Narwal. The 36-year old will face a stern test against Pardeep Narwal and Rajesh Mondal in today’s battle.The former U Mumba defender Vishal Mane showed glimpses of old form against the Panthers.
Rajesh Mondal’s exquisite form continued against U Mumba with 8 raid points. The former Bengaluru raider is making life difficult for defenders with his powerful raids and moreover, Rajesh attacks both the corners, a unique skill to have. Rajesh faces an uphill battle against the in-form Nilesh Shinde and Amit Chhillar in today’s encounter.
Pardeep Narwal’s destructive form has slowed down a bit with just 10 raid points in the last three games. Pardeep will battle it out against Nilesh Shinde on the right corner in today’s mouth-watering contest.
The defensive duo of Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Fazel Atrachali should carry their impressive form today. Cheralathan’s belligerent run in season 4 continued against U Mumba with a super five in tackles. The 41-year-old will be challenged by the athletic Jan Kun Lee, who mostly attacks the right side. Bajirao Hodage will also be keen to make a mark as he comes up against his old side on Sunday.
The head to head stands 5-1 in favour of the Pirates and moreover, the Warriors never defeated the champions of season 3, since the exciting encounter at the Port Trust Indoor stadium in Vizag, in season 1. The Pirates also overcame the season 3 semi-finalist in the previous clash at the Patliputra Sports Complex.
Patna suffered the humiliating defeat against the less fancied Delhi Side last week. The table toppers need to make sure that they won’t endure another defeat against the Bengal Warriors. It’s a tough call, to predict a winner but Patna’s momentum in season 4 holds the cutting edge against the Warriors. Let’s see whether Bengal comes up with another exceptional performance to end Patna’s dominance in season 4.
Squads
Bengal Warriors
Defenders: Nilesh Shinde, Girish Ernak, Amit Singh Chhillar, Vishal Mane, Chaminda R.S.M, C.Arun, Ravi Kumar, Sushil Vijay Bhosle
All-rounders: Suyog Rajapkar, Yogesh Subhash Sawant
Raiders: Simon Kibura, Jang Kun Lee, Nitin Mandane, Surjeet Narwal, Ravi Dalal, Shrikant Jadhav, Mahendra Ganesh Rajput, Ravindra Ramesh Kumavat
Patna Pirates
Defenders: Dharmraj Cheralathan, Bajirao Hodage, Deepak Dhull, Vijin Thangadurai, Fazel Atrachali, Abolfazel Maghsodlo, Sunny, Sunil Kumar
All-rounders: Sanjay Kumar, Hadi Oshtorak, Kuldeep Singh
Raider: Mahesh Goud, Pardeep Narwal, Rajesh Mondal, Vinoth Paulyas
Bengal Warriors vs Patna Pirates Live Match Information
Date: 17/07/2016
Time: 21:00 IST
Venue: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium, Kolkata.
TV Channels: Star Sports 2/Star Sports 2 HD (English), Star Sports 3/Star Sports 3 HD (Hindi)
Live stream: StarSports.com
